What to expect if I import an amp and preamp from a Japan seller via US eBay


I can’t afford the cost of the amp and preamp I’d like to buy.  I’ve discovered I can pay just less than half what I’d pay at a dealer in the US.  But I haven’ t done this before.  I’m aware that I won’t have a guarantee and that I’ll need a step down transformer.    I willing to take the risk of no guarantee.  But I don’t know what to expect when my box hits CUSTOMS.  What can I expect?  What are my responsibilities?  How much is it likely to cost me?, I’ll be paying $7000 for the amp and the preamp..

128x128echolane

My last order took around 3 weeks and no unexpected charges.  All was well, but that depends on the seller.

Will take U.S. voltage anyday and would not want to use a step up/down transformer.

The EBay dealer I purchase from, had my Accuphase converted to 120VAC from the Accuphase factory. This dealer reassured me from shipping to delivery, with excellent communication. I believe my cost from FedEx, acting as my agent cost me $55 bucks. The bill was sent in the mail after delivery. Once the item reached customs, you call FedEx and they take over from there. The amp was packed superbly in 4 boxes. The amp was well protected. Once my amp arrived, I removed the top and there was not ANY evidence that the amp had been modded. Plugged it in my 120 and beautiful music came out. I own and PassLabs 250, Mac 253, hegal 390, and non of them are built with attention to detail as my Accuphase. I doubt seriously I would ever have a problem with this amp. Of course anything can happen, but the built quality is impeccable. Getting this amp at almost half price was well worth it to me. That my experience.

Bought a Luxman integrated from Japan. Listening to it now, sounds as wonderful as it should. I bought from Buyee Japan, my second purchase. Only paid about an extra $200 for shipping and import etc. A proper step down will not degrade the sound. The key is to buy one that has lots of head room and designed well. My step down is rated for 1600 watts and I had it pretty loud today and it never got up to pulling 200watts. 

+1 for “you won’t hear the difference w/ a step down transformer,”  assuming you have a transformer rated for the needs of the equipment at hand. If we think about it, every device plugs into the wall and converts the wall voltage to the voltages needed in the audio circuit. No mystery here on how this works.

If there’s a difference, I think it’s much smaller than the difference in Accuphase vs. not Accuphase within your budget. 

To give you a sense of price (few hundred $) from another thread on operating Japanese gear in the US: 

 

Here’s another suggestion: send it to George and have them convert the unit to 110v, and skip the transformer altogether. I suspect all the hardware is there and it’s merely a matter of using the appropriate taps on the power transformer, but it’s likely George would know and could answer whether this is a viable option over the phone.